Psychiatrist Expresses Concerns about Yoo Ah-In’s Mental Health

A renowned psychiatrist in Korea expressed concerns about Yoo Ah-in’s mental health, based on his observation of the actor’s recent comments on Twitter.

On November 26, Psychiatrist Kim Hyun-chul wrote on Twitter, asking people if the actor has recently started to write on Twitter more frequently.

Psychiatrist Kim Hyun-chul in Korean TV show ‘Infinite Challenge.’ In the show, Kim chose Jung Hyung-don as the person with the highest stress level, whom soon stepped down from the show due to anxiety disorder [Image in courtesy of MBC].

“I’m asking seriously because I think I’m seeing something here,” Kim added, asking if the actor has ever mentioned where he’s from or his childhood memories and if his recent Tweets are the normal length for him.

The psychiatrist went further to write, “If people from Yoo Ah-in’s agency or his family see this message, I want to talk to them,” which is followed by another Tweet directly asking UAA and the actor’s agency for a direct message.

On the following day, Kim wrote, “When sincerity is misunderstood, isolated in an instant, and his disillusionment with humankind cannot be controlled, it can lead to a hypomania,” implying that he is talking about Yoo Ah-in’s case.

“I saw him making contracts with two or three movies at once and the time differences between each post are unprecedentedly short. His writings, too, seem to show compensatory mechanisms like a flight of ideas. If his agency or his family in Daegu are seeing this, please send a direct message immediately. His current state is not a problem but if he falls into a depression, it can be seriously dangerous.”

On November 28, Kim said that he didn’t hear back from Yoo Ah-in’s agency and that people working in the related field didn’t seem willing to help at all.

“Based on theories, Yoo Ah-in’s symptoms are likely to be most dangerous in February next year,” he added.

Yoo Ah-in [Instagram]

Actor Yoo Ah-in has recently been involved in a feminism debate, since November 18 when he replied to a post mentioning him.

Talking about how she feels about the actor’s personality, a Twitter user wrote, “I think it would be hard to be friends with Yoo Ah-in. It’s like, when he opens a refrigerator and finds a single zucchini in there, I think he would just stare at the zucchini for a while, turn to me, and say things like, ‘What does it mean to be alone?’ (*twitching*)” The actor replied to the post himself by writing, “Have you been hit by a zucchini? (*twitching*)”

People soon pointed out that violence against women should never be a source of humor. The debate continued and Yoo Ah-in exchanged more than a hundred Tweets with Twitter users. When one of them referred him as a “typical Korean man,” the actor emotionally answered, “Stop acting like Megalia,” referring to a radical feminist group in Korea.

Psychiatrist Kim’s posts have fueled another debate, fighting whether it is ethical to share someone’s diagnosis publically. While some people commented that Kim is only expressing worries about Yoo’s state, others criticize the psychiatrist for violating the actor’s privacy.